Spaces of quiet resistance: navigating health and socio-spatial challenges in informal settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic

In informal settlements in the global South, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated territorial stigma, health risks and socioeconomic gaps. In the absence of adequate state support, grassroots initiatives emerged to cope with multifaceted impacts. Drawing on a scoping review of the literature on informal settlements vis-à-vis COVID-19, this article discusses the documented built environment risk determinants and the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic in these areas. Moreover, the article registers informal settlements during the pandemic as ‘spaces of quiet resistance’, a conceptualisation that captures and foregrounds the nonconfrontational, pragmatic and evasive strategies by non-state agents operating within these communities to cope with the uneven consequences of the health emergency. By analysing the dimensions of risks, impacts and resistance, this study sheds light on the nuanced socio-spatial governance mechanisms that unfold in these communities during crises, which become critical repositories for transformative urban planning.